Planning your son or daughter’s birthday is an exciting time of the year. There are so many fun ideas and party themes in your mind, and you want to create the best birthday memories for your child.
You’re currently in the home stretch: you’ve surfed several websites and Facebook pages, you’ve visited some birthday venues, and you’ve asked for all the different birthday packages. Now it’s time to compare these offers against your preferences and needs.
Here are eight questions you should ask yourself and the birthday venue representatives to help you make the right decision:
1. Is any birthday theme freely available?
During your initial meeting, you might have asked if the birthday venue has your desired theme available for free. That’s great! But what if your child suddenly changes what they want their birthday theme to be? With the continuously new TV shows and movies rolling out, with the increasing fads among kids, and with the different crazes they come across, your child may very well change their preference at the last minute.
Will your venue be able to make your desired theme if they don’t have it on hand already? Would that be for free? These are important questions to ask to ensure your birthday budget is not bumped up unexpectedly.
Related: Check our Archive for Birthday Theme Ideas
2. What happens if I suddenly have several more guests than expected? Will my food be enough?
This isn’t something we naturally think about, but here’s how birthday buffets work: they are sufficient for a range of people. For example, if you have 20 expected kids coming to a birthday at Clay, our buffet will be sufficient for 20 kids and 20 adults.
Now is when it’s time for you to think about how many adults you expect to attend. Between family members and kids’ parents, do you expect more than 25 adults to attend? In that case, you need to ask what the options are to ensure your guests are satisfied with a rich selection of food. Will your venue be able to add on food at the last minute? What options will you be able to add on? The answers to these questions will affect the food choices and quantities you pick initially.
3. What games do you generally play with kids my child’s age?
We’re all sick of the same old games and activities that are played at each and every kids birthday party. After all, we’re going through all this planning to give our child an exceptional and special experience!
When sitting down with the venue representatives, ask them to list the specific games they will play with your child. Ask them for some original games that aren’t déjà vu and see if they have any available. Their reaction to your question will help you evaluate how trendy and up-to-date their equipment and games are.
4. Where do the parents usually hang around while the kids play?
We get so caught up in the action of planning for our child’s birthday that we sometimes forget a very important aspect which affects the whole ambience of the birthday: will the parents be comfortable? Make sure the venue has two options for adults: the ability to be with their kids while they play (just in case their kids have a tough time leaving their parents), and a separate seating area away from the loud music and raucous, so that they can enjoy a good conversation and make friends too!
5. What language options are available for animation?
We live in a trilingual country, however most of us are fluent in only two: Arabic and English or Arabic and French. As a result, it’s important to ask what language the venue animators speak. Are they equipped with a team that can speak English? French? Arabic?
This will go a long way in making or breaking your guests’ experience as they try to master each game!
6. Do you have a birthday package option where I can bring my own décor and cake?
Many of us are on a limited budget, and the birthday packages generally provided by venues can be out of our desired range. What most people forget to ask about is if the venue has another option where birthday decoration and cake can be brought from outside. This can significantly bring your costs down if you’re willing to do some work like roam for your desired theme decoration, bring them to the venue for set up in advance, ordering your own cake, and bringing it with you on the day of the event.
7. How flexible are you with changes?
It’s important to ask up front when the final decisions have to be made regarding theme choice, cake design, placemat layout, animation preferences, and shows. As mentioned earlier, your child’s preferences may alter as their birthday nears. Is the team at the venue equipped enough to accommodate for these changes just 5 days in advance? What has to be settled a few weeks in advance?
Related: View Our Kids Birthday Packages
8. By when should I decide on date & time and reserve?
Each birthday venue has its higher and lower seasons, depending on what their facility offers. Make sure to ask each venue how long in advance they recommend you to reserve so that you can ensure your preferred date and time. You’d be surprised how quickly some slots fill up!
Adding these questions to your list of inquiries will definitely help ensure a smooth planning process with the birthday venue you choose. Happy planning and happiest birthday to your loved one!